Sharing stories of kindness reminds us of good in the world

You know what's super fun? Putting a post on social media asking people to share their favorite kindness stories.

Try it sometime. It's an immediate boost to your day and a great way to remember there are a lot of kind things happening quietly behind the scenes in our world.

Here are a few stories people have shared with me recently.

From Beth Kern in Milwaukee: "We have a partially finished basement that was clear and empty. A few weeks ago, we were out to brunch with friends who run the parish rummage sale. One of the gals got a phone call from a parishioner asking if they had any storage room to take boxes from a move. The parishioner was downsizing and the closing date was in a few days. Both of our friends have apartments, but we had the basement available. By 4 p.m. that afternoon and 20 boxes later, we made their day! It felt great!"

From Lindsay Schaller in Athens, Ohio: "I was rear-ended a few months ago. The officer who responded was incredibly kind, even taking a moment to calm my little girl who was in the car with me. A few weeks ago, who is in line behind me at a the drive-thru restaurant? The officer! I paid for his lunch. It wasn't much, but felt good to be able to thank him!"

From Eddie Carter, who is on a Mormon mission near Columbus, Ohio: "My companion and I were biking to an appointment. It was hot, and not the most fun thing to do in general. I mean, with white shirts and ties...

"My bike chain kept falling apart and it was pretty frustrating. After the third or fourth time my chain was jammed, I got off my bike, and again turned it upside down so I could fix the problem. I flipped the bike too fast and bent the rear rim.

"Just a tad bit more annoyed, I hopped on my bike and somehow finished the journey. Our appointment fell through so we decided to walk down the street to a church member's home. They took us right in! They tried to fix my bike, but couldn't, so they gave me a bike to use while they figured out how to fix mine! They gave us water and even a ride to our next destination.

"The kindness and love eliminated all frustration. It tends to do that, huh?"

From Teresa Trussell in Athens, Ohio: "I was walking to a meeting, and I was thinking about some stressful things I have coming up. It must have showed on my face. A kind passerby stopped me to tell me to remember that whatever is stressful today will be a small blip on the radar in the future, and to smile in spite of things because I am beautiful. He made me feel beautiful even though I was a hot mess that day. Regardless, his kind words took seconds but left a long impression."

Isn't it fun to see how kindness shows up at just the right moment? I'd love to hear your story of kindness.

Nicole J. Phillips is a former television anchor for Fox News in Fargo. She is a writer, speaker and mother of three kids. Nicole is married to Ohio University's Men's Head Basketball Coach Saul Phillips. You can visit Nicole at " target="_blank">nicolejphillips.com.